


What Remains...

by RefrainGirl



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Canonical Character Death, Charon's a nice guy, Contracts, Don't copy to another site, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Hades is cruel, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mentioned Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Minor Achilles/Patroclus (Hades Video Game), Minor Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Pre-Canon, Proud Achilles (Hades Video Game), Rage, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Reunited and It Feels So Good, What else is new, at least I think so, definitely not explicit but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RefrainGirl/pseuds/RefrainGirl
Summary: Upon his death, Achilles is offered a choice: either escape from Hell and be eaten by Cerberus, or be sent to Elysium as is his earned right. Neither option suits him, so he makes another offer with Hades that will shape his entire existence in the Underworld... for better or worse.
Relationships: Achilles & Charon (Hades Video Game), Achilles/Patroclus (Hades Video Game)
Kudos: 30





	What Remains...

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about after I sat here for a while, wondering how Achilles made the contract with Hades work. Like, Pat was going to be sent somewhere other than Elysium, and he decided to do something about it. So what exactly could he have done? And then my brain went and made an angst fic all about my idea of what happened. Honestly, I'm just glad to get it out of my head because it's such a saddening thought :'(
> 
> I couldn't resist adding a happier ending to it because damn, it's kinda sad, but hey! I hope you guys enjoy this anyway!

It had felt like everything happened in no more than a blink of an eye. So fast. One blink had taken Achilles’ heart and ripped it asunder. Another blink had sent him on the war path of no return. Yet another had brought all of the bloodshed, all of the fire and screaming, countless deaths. Many people had once praised him for his fleetness of foot, but now they were shaking beneath the shadow of a man who could not be stopped. If they pleaded for their lives, he did not hear. Listening was for someone who had the patience, and Achilles could spare no more of that. Not for these bastards.

He had been impassive before, had considered the need to respect what was asked of him; but tonight his respect had died brutally, along with the love of his life. There would be no mercy, not from him. It had not been earned, nor was it deserved.

Straight through the hordes of men he fought, wielding his spear like a flash of lightning, swinging hard and precise. He was a madman, skewering anyone who dared to stand in his path. The trail of bodies behind him had grown longer than any man could rightly claim as truth, stretching far into the distance and out of sight. Blood splattered across the dirt, across stone, yet none of it satisfied Achilles. He would not rest until everything had fallen. No one could be left alive, no wall could stand in memorial of what had been taken from him. All of it had to crumble, fade into dust, become nothing. This cursed place would only be erased from his thoughts if he erased it himself.

His fellow warriors had done nothing but watch in pure horror, daring perhaps in their minds to call him inhuman. But then Achilles would not have faulted them for it. He couldn’t rightly call himself such, not in that moment. It had become plain the moment Patroclus had fallen. He wasn’t a man storming Troy. No, he was far worse - a beast, feral, eyes glinting with murderous intent. He was the destruction of Troy, summoned by the death of his love that Hector so dared to steal from his grasp.

And then, once his revenge had been taken… killed from afar. Cheated by an arrow. It had been infuriating, a horrid way to die, but it could not be undone.

One last blink and now here he was, at the gates of the Underworld. That had to be where he was. Nowhere else could possibly look so dismal, so fitting for death. Skeletal pillars lined the walls and ancient stonework tiled the floors, haunted by the barest hint of light from the open doorway whence he had come. To his right Achilles could see many small iron bars, more resembling gates than the door he had used to enter this realm, and they led into dark tunnels that released horrifyingly monstrous sounds from the depths. On his left there seemed to be a shop of some kind, and sitting behind it a king’s ransom in gold and treasure. It glimmered briefly as Achilles heard the door swing to a sudden close, effectively shutting off any outside light from entering. The only form of luminance now was from the fires lit atop the pillars, the only noise being the gentle waters of the Styx. It’s deep and flowing crimson ripples did nothing to unnerve him, but he hadn’t expected that it would. Such a place looked no different than any battlefield he had fought on. Rivers of blood, they had been made by him before, not seconds ago.

That’s right, he wasn’t finished.

Achilles snarled, wheeling ferociously towards his point of escape. The door had no visible handle, but he could smash it open if need be. He wasn’t going to die yet. There was more to be done before he could be sated. Time, there had to be more time left to…

“I would suggest against it.”

A baritone unlike any mortal’s was ringing, dark and terrible, in Achilles’ ears. He could compare the sound to nothing he had ever experienced before. A clap of thunder mixed with the strength of a thousand earthquakes? Close, but even that could not encapsulate the whole of this entity’s voice. It spoke of sinister intentions and deepest pits of torment. Every word was hard, cold as stone. It rumbled from within, each syllable seeming to echo in his mind, pervasive and insistent. But it had to have come from somewhere else. Such a voice did not exist in his own thoughts.

“What an awful shame it would be if Cerberus had to eat you upon arrival,” the voice continued, sounding less than amused. “The greatest of the Greeks, rendered a snack for my guardian. A terrible waste, indeed. I’m to usher you to Elysium myself, but if you decide to throw it all away so foolishly, then why should I bother?”

To speak of Cerberus so fondly, then this could only be…

“Hades.”

Achilles frowned, pressing his hand firmly against the door. Of course he would be greeted personally by the God of the Dead after what he’d just done, he should have expected nothing less. It didn’t matter either way, he was returning. That was his choice. But after coming to that conclusion Achilles took the time to look properly. His movements gradually stilled, and he slowly came to realize that his heart had not beaten in more than a minute. A phantom limb was stretched out before him, solid yet ethereal. His muscle, his bones, everything that made him what he was… it had been stripped from him. No breaths parted his lips, his chest was unmoving. He felt nothing, save for the pain that had spurred him to battle. That was undying, and just another small part of him that had become immortal.

Even if he did emerge from the Underworld, even if he did go back to Troy… he would be doing so as a ghost.

Bringing his hand to his heart - no, where his heart _should_ have been. Where his heart had once pulsed with life, had once felt warmth and love, and…

_… No longer. It beats no more. It stopped the instant he left me._

Achilles clenched that hand into a tight fist, swallowing back the emotions that threatened to undo him. “So, then… I am…”

He was not allowed to finish his sentence. “If you ever address me without some form of title again, shade, I’ll drag you down into the bowels of Tartarus and leave you there to rot!” Hades boomed, making Achilles wince and bring a hand to his aching head. “The insolence! I’ve yet to see any other human dare to show as much gall as you! … Tch, it’s no small wonder he idolizes you.”

Just blinking his eyes triggered the throes of a headache after such an outburst, even though he was dead. Achilles grimaced, doing what he could to focus. “Someone claims to know of me? I suppose that’s unavoidable… I have sent many here over the years.”

Hades went quiet for a minute, before testily answering. “Yes, and I’ve half a mind to throw you to the wolves, so to speak, for your arrogance. You’re luckier than most of your lot, do you know that? Being permitted into Elysium is the highest honor a shade can receive, and it is clearly the most desirable of all my domains. I haven’t sent anyone to reside there in quite some time. Most of you mortals are rather pathetic, and could never earn the right. It makes me wonder why you even exist at all - other than to irritate and annoy me.”

“Would that I knew the answer, Lord Hades.”

Achilles heard him scoff. “Why should I expect you to know anything of import, young and foolish as you are? All that matters at this point is your prowess on the field of battle, for that has decided your fate in my realm. Tell me, should I spend some of my valuable time to greet you, or should I leave you for Cerberus? He hasn’t eaten anyone in quite some time, so I’m certain that he will relish the taste of freshly killed myrmidon.”

It had to be said that Achilles held no fear for any god, proven quite effectively after his duel with Hector. He had incited the Olympians’ wrath without a single second’s hesitation that day. _They can do what they want to me for this,_ he’d thought. _They can try to ruin me, if they dare. Let me see what they can do._ By then his own anger had become a force of nature that he himself could not defy. And though their ire was vast and far-reaching as well, the gods had remained reluctant to step in. They too had an inkling of what was to come, and what it would take to stop Achilles once he had marked his path in the bloodied dirt.

So yes, Hades was a god. But he was also just a god.

“You speak as though you believe I won’t defeat him,” Achilles said, his tone calm and cool. Though it was true that his main goal was now unachievable, and that there was no need to fight the multi headed hound, he wanted to prove to this god that he would not bow to any threat. Even if it was just with simple words. “I would prefer not to slay anything else on this day, but if you present to me a challenge then I will pursue it.”

He could hear Hades growl under his breath, and then a loud slam as if he had thrown his fist onto a table. “You will remember your place, shade!” His voice cracked through Achilles’ brain like a whip, and he tried to stand firm under the sheer power of it. “I think I’ve tolerated your attitude for long enough! If you honestly assume that any amount of rage will take you farther than the gate where you stand, then you are more idiotic than I thought. This is the Underworld. Death is nothing here. Still, if you want to test me then by all means slay Cerberus. I can always find somewhere worse to send your Patroclus to.”

Hearing that name spoken without a care froze Achilles to his core. He stopped, felt his body grow tense. “You…” A snarl rose unbidden to his lips as he spat out the rest of his fury. “You would use him against me!?”

Hades snorted at that. “Hmph. Why not? You would use Cerberus against me. The way I see it, we’re even, shade.”

“Wherever you send him, I will follow. I will find him!”

“You will go where I send you,” Hades stated coldly. “You are a part of my realm now, Achilles, or have you forgotten that I am its ruler? You shades go wherever I see fit to send you, no matter your opinions on the decision. How much more plainly can I say it? _You have no power here._ ”

That couldn’t be true. Achilles swallowed the sharp words eager to be spoken, bit them back with every ounce of willpower that he possessed. He wanted to fight this with his entire being. All of him was screaming to take up arms, to lift his spear and throw it straight into the heart of such a cruel god. It was all he knew how to do. When you wanted to protect something you fought for it, tooth and nail. Whatever rose to greet you on the battlefield, you stood strong and faced it down. Pat wouldn’t want him to give up, would he?

_You need to take action, Achilles. Risk it all. Otherwise, what are we even doing here…?_

His words dragged along Achilles’ ethereal heart, scratching and clawing. He hadn’t listened then, but how could he listen now? When Hades could send Pat anywhere in the Underworld and prevent Achilles from following, or even knowing where to search? From the way he talked, Hades made it seem as if Pat was already headed somewhere unpleasant. Anything worse than that could only be torture, his imaginings of such a prison making Achilles grit his teeth. If he ever wanted to see his beloved again, then he would have to play by the rules of the Underworld. He would have to kneel to Hades, at least for the moment.

The idea made him feel like spitting in disgust, but after a moment, Achilles’ hand fell from the cold surface of the door to his side. “You’re right, Lord Hades,” he whispered, licking his lips to ease the sting of the sentiment as it left his mouth. As much as this wounded his pride, Pat took precedence over everything else. Besides, hadn’t his pride done all of this to him in the first place? Perhaps this was how the gods had decided to punish him, after all. “Forgive me for my rash behavior. Everything that’s happened so far has been quite a shock to me, and I’m still trying to make sense of a lot of things. Perhaps, if I were to take a better tone with you, we might come to an understanding?”

His sudden turnaround had made Hades suspicious rather than relieved, Achilles could hear it in his voice. “You want to come to an understanding with me, after expressing the desire to kill my guardian in cold blood? After claiming that you would disobey all orders and seek out that which I’ve deemed inaccessible to you, no matter what the cost? You must think me a fool if you expect me to agree to anything you ask.”

“Then, at least tell me where Patroclus will be,” Achilles said in earnest. “If you allow me this, I swear to you on my honor that I will not go against you if you forbid me from seeing him. I… just want to know if he’s alright.”

The silence that followed made Achilles more nervous than he had ever felt before. Bargaining with the gods was always a gamble. So many stories had ended poorly after someone made a deal, and here Achilles was attempting to compromise with the God of the Dead. He was asking for favor from the god who was notorious for having the least compassion out of all his brothers and sisters. It would take a miracle for Hades to even consider his request after how brash he had been, but Achilles had to try. For Pat’s sake.

After what felt like an age of quiet Hades spoke, his tone shifting to become strangely businesslike. “Your honor may be worth something to you, but a god such as I requires more… official reassurances than your word, Achilles. If there is something you want to offer as payment for such knowledge, then you must come to me and request it in writing, as all shades do. Charon will take you to my home in Tartarus, if you wish to discuss it further.”

That was it. Achilles’ head went blissfully silent, and he let out a breath that he no longer needed. Hades had relinquished his hold for now, but this offer that he had mentioned… it sounded like a trap. It wasn’t that Achilles had expected a fair shake from someone such as Hades, but he had hoped that he would be able to settle things here and now, without having to travel to the murky depths of the Underworld. Being forced to go to Hades’ home before they could even talk made Achilles more than uneasy. He was being constantly reminded that he held no sway here, but…

No. He couldn’t afford to lose heart, not now.

Charon rose from his seat upon his piles of gold as Achilles approached, lifting the brim of his hat with a loud groan. “Hrrraaaaaaghhhhnnnn…” A few streams of coin slid down one of the piles as purple smoke billowed from his mouth, and he appeared to be waiting for something. Achilles blinked. Was that supposed to be a greeting, or something else?

He stared over at Charon, at a loss, until a thought struck him. “Ah, of course. Payment for the ride.”

Quickly Achilles searched his pockets, frowning as he discovered that they held nothing of worth to pay the boatman with. That… was going to be a problem, wasn’t it? He sighed helplessly over at Charon, who was giving him the most inscrutable of looks. “My apologies, boatman, but I have nothing to pay you with. Is there any other way a bargain could be struck?”

Charon may have blinked, but it was hard to tell if he actually had eyes or if there was something else entirely that glowed underneath the brim of his hat. For the sake of his sanity, Achilles chose to assume that they were indeed eyes. “Aaaaaaaggghhhh…”

A skeletal hand raised to point at his chest, and Achilles glanced down to see that Charon was pointing at the medallion that held his cloak in place. It glimmered faintly in the torchlight, drawing Charon’s ever watchful gaze. Apparently it held at least some value to the boatman, which was good because if it hadn’t then Achilles would have had to walk the whole way himself - and that sounded like it wouldn’t entertain so much as test his limits.

“You would accept this for the ride? I suppose it’s a fair trade,” he conceded, reaching up to unclasp the medallion. “I can’t see myself needing it in the future. Here you are.”

As soon as Achilles placed it in Charon’s grasp, he let out a guttural hiss of satisfaction. His medallion twinkled for an instant before teleporting onto the top of Charon’s most voluptuous pile of riches, and then the boatman was gesturing to his boat, groaning out some sort of grateful sound. He could now traverse the river Styx all the way into the darkest reaches of Tartarus, where Hades resided. Perhaps that was what he had just said.

Oddly, all Achilles felt at the prospect was numb.

* * *

The ride would have been almost pleasant if not for the swarms of ghastly hands sticking up out of the river’s bloody waters. Achilles had mild concerns that the hands might reach for him and drag him under before he had any hope of reaching Tartarus, but Charon was a masterful sailor. If any hands appeared to get grabby, he growled and smacked them hard with his oar until they either relented or dissipated into the void. Nothing was allowed to touch his boat unless they paid in full for the privilege, and Achilles was slightly relieved to know such things. For all of his terrifying looks, Charon was not as bad as he had predicted.

Once the boat had pulled up to the entryway of Hades’ abode, Charon gave a brief incline of the head to Achilles. “Grrraahhhhhnnn…”

“Ah… thank you for your services,” Achilles offered, not entirely sure if he was saying the right thing or not. Charon’s groans were hard to interpret, as many of his one-sided conversations on the way down here had proven. Carefully he stepped off of the craft and onto the pathway. “I’d wish you safe travels, but I don’t suppose you need that from me.”

“Ssssshhhhaaaaaaaahh…”

And just like that, the boatman was gone, departed back up the river from whence he came. Achilles blinked a few times. How was he supposed to get to Elysium after this? Was it possible to summon Charon somehow? Hades hadn’t told him much of anything except that Charon would take him downriver. There seemed to be a lot of information that Hades was withholding from him, and there had to be a good reason for it. Or at least what would constitute as a good reason for Hades.

“There’s no other choice now,” he mumbled to himself. “Fear is for the weak.”

The House loomed over him, massive in size and grandeur. The stone used to shape the walls in the visage of its master looked like nothing Achilles had seen on the surface, nor anything that mortal men were capable of sculpting. The doors themselves looked to be staring down in disapproval, just as Hades was surely willing to do once he set foot inside.

Achilles raised a hand and hesitantly knocked, knowing of nothing else to do to gain entry. Hopefully he was doing the right thing, because if not…

Slowly, the doors creaked open. After a moment some kind of floating green head peered out at him through the crack. “Hi, um, can I help you?” a small voice asked.

It was difficult not to stare in bewilderment, but Achilles did his best to be respectful. He had heard too many stories of the Underworld to believe that it was a safe place to drop one’s guard. “I believe so. I was told to come here to see the lord of the House.”

Gradually the door opened a bit more, and the floating gorgon (yes she was a gorgon, he finally realized) gave Achilles a confused smile. It seemed that only one long snake adorned her head, and it was holding a featherduster. Not exactly the most sinister of first impressions, but it observed him with a curious glance as she rambled on. “Oh really? Did Lady Nyx ask for you…? Because if she had, I’m sure she would have told me, and advised me to get the lounge cleaned up for you! But I didn’t hear anything from her, so… um…”

If she had been trying to turn him to stone, then it wasn’t working. Or maybe she simply didn’t want to. This creature seemed polite, if a little skittish. Not exactly the violent, murderous kind of beast that Achilles had heard about in tales. He decided that she was one of the nicest gorgons he had ever encountered, and thus not a threat. “I’m afraid she didn’t invite me, no. Lord Hades was the one who - “

As soon as he had spoken the name, the gorgon’s eyes grew wide, terrified almost. She interrupted him instantly, not bothering to give him a chance to explain. “Oh my! You’re… The Master asked specifically for you, didn’t he? Made note to everyone of your arrival, and here I am keeping you waiting at the door! I am so, so sorry Achilles sir!”

Before he could even attempt to reassure her that there was no offense taken, the little gorgon had shuffled aside, tugging the main doors wide open with the help of her snake head. She quickly slipped outside to push against Achilles’ back, nudging him urgently inside. “Please, right this way! The Master will see you immediately!”

He let himself be led by the gorgon, taking in the general gloom of the palace as she commented nervously on the time and if Hades might be upset with her for the delay. It wasn’t how Achilles had thought a palace might look. Honestly, everything here looked like it had some kind of pall hanging over it, an eternal shadow that no light could fully disperse. Tall pillars with candles eternally flickering near the roof, faded banners of crimson, tattered at the ends… Perhaps once it had looked nicer, but for now all of the glory that once filled these halls had been sucked dry, either by time or some other source of decay.

There were other shades in the House as well, Achilles noticed. They lurked in out of the way places along the walls, as if hoping not to disturb, and they didn’t look anything like him either, which was strange. Most looked like simple blobs, seeming to have no form other than this. Was that what a shade was destined to look like if they had been sentenced to stay in Tartarus? He couldn’t begin to know, but if that was the case then it would be nearly impossible for him to tell anyone apart. Maybe that was the point.

Achilles suddenly found himself hoping that Pat wouldn’t wind up sharing such a fate…

Finally, after quite a surprising bit of walking and floating on the gorgon’s part, she stopped abruptly in front of him, causing him to nearly crash into her. “Please wait here for a moment, sir,” she said before proceeding to float over towards a massive desk. It was several heads taller than Achilles, and held paperwork that was also twice his size. But that wasn’t what had caught his attention. What he was observing was the being sitting at the desk, leaning back in his chair with a disinterested expression on his pale face. Obviously this was his desk, for no one else Achilles had seen in this place could possibly fill such a huge space themselves. The quill in his hand scribbled something onto a sheet as he nodded, large muscles barely quivering with the action.

“Absolutely not. Denied,” he drawled, waving a hand in dismissal. The shade he had been talking to visibly deflated, and faded out of the room. “Next claim.”

 _That has to be Hades._ Achilles steeled his nerves, watching as the gorgon levitated up near his ear and began whispering in hushed tones. _Soon it will be my turn to speak, but… what will he demand of me in return?_

“Achilles, step forth.”

Hades had turned his dark eyes towards him, beckoning with a finger. The line of shades murmured quietly among themselves until Hades glowered over at them. “You are all dismissed until further notice,” he snapped, and then his intense glare carried to everyone else in the room - even the nice little gorgon. “Leave us, _now_.”

Achilles watched as everyone present obediently made their exit, and the gorgon gave him a nervously encouraging smile as she, too, vacated the room. In a matter of seconds, it was just him and Hades alone in the hall.

“Took your time in getting here, I see,” he complained, and Achilles schooled his features to stay neutral as he stepped before the desk. “I was forced to get on with my duties while I waited, and now you interrupt them with your tardiness.”

“Perhaps I’d have arrived sooner if you had given me more direction before leaving me to fend for myself.”

“Bah.” Hades waved away the accusation as if it were no more than a fly to be swatted. “If it’s coddling you wanted, you should have stayed away from the war, Achilles. Besides, it’s your business whether you know enough about the Underworld to survive or not. Doting on all of the souls who pass through is not my concern.”

That barb was meant to provoke him into saying something foolish, no doubt. And it did prick hard at the remains of his heart, Achilles couldn’t pretend that it didn’t; but… for Patroclus, he had to stay calm, had to think this through and do it well. His only chance to save his beloved from an eternity of horrors lay in front of him, and he wasn’t about to squander it simply because Hades was being cruel to him.

“Why don’t you tell me what you called me here for, Lord Hades,” he stated, crossing his arms that they might be restrained. Achilles could feel his fingers itching to toss a spear, and that wouldn’t do. Not during negotiations. “Where is Patroclus? Did you send him to Asphodel?”

Upon hearing that, Hades chuckled. “Bold of you to assume that he is worthy of that kind of treatment.”

His fingers twitched again, and Achilles gripped at his arms even tighter. “Then where? You brought me here under the proviso that I give you my official statement, in writing. I can’t do that until you fulfill your end.”

The look on Hades’ face was one of interest, all of a sudden. Dark amusement creased his eyes, and that did not bode well. “You truly wish to know? Despite also knowing that I will refuse you the opportunity to see him again?”

Slowly, Achilles nodded. “Yes. If that is what it takes for me to know that he is well, then… I will accept the consequences.”

The grin that crossed Hades’ face gave him chills, and a certain sense of foreboding. “Very well. I will tell you what you came so far to hear.” He leaned forwards, planting both hands on his desk, and laughed. “He’s staying with me, shade. Tartarus is where your Patroclus belongs. As I recall, he has a tight schedule set up with the fury sisters, and I expect their whips will be at his back for quite some time. Rest assured, he is in _extremely_ capable hands.”

His beloved, trapped in the pits of Tartarus? On what grounds? What did Pat ever do to earn such a punishment!?

Achilles squeezed his eyes shut, turning all of his energy inward to suppress his building rage. “He has done nothing to deserve such torture,” he said, opening his eyes to glare into the picture of dark humor that was Hades. “Surely you jest.”

But the god merely grinned wider. “You said that you wanted to know. Now that you have what you sought, I will require a signature from you.”

A magical contract appeared before Achilles, hovering in the air along with a quill pen. The terms were simple: in exchange for the information on Patroclus, he would give up any and all attempts to flee the Underworld, harm its guardian, or leave his designated domain once it was assigned to him. He had just signed away all of his rights for the agonizing knowledge that Pat wasn’t even being cared about. All of this, for what? To know that Pat was going to be whipped forever onward, while Achilles was destined to float about Elysium with no purpose and no one to hold?

_Unacceptable. I won’t stand for this._

Hades’ smirk hadn’t dimmed even slightly since breaking the news to him. He was enjoying this scenario just as much as Achilles had thought he might. Of all the traps to spring, this was one of the most dastardly he had ever been ensnared in. But there had to be another way to end this, a way that could spare Pat from having to endure such an undeserved punishment.

It was then that the idea came to him. Achilles frowned, resigned to his fate, and looked up at the smug god before him. “I will only sign this if it is revised,” he countered, and Hades’ grin vanished.

“That was not the deal, shade. If you dare not to sign now, then I will be forced to set you up with a few personal appointments with the furies as well.”

“What if I took Patroclus’ place?” Achilles held out the contract in front of him, a last beacon of hope for saving his beloved from an endless nightmare. “What if he were to go to Elysium, and I were to stay here, in Tartarus? Would that be such a terrible trade, Lord Hades?”

He watched the thoughtful consideration cross Hades’ face. “Hm. You would stay here and receive all the lashes meant for him while he wallows in Elysium, unworthy and alone?” The frown on his face deepened. “As much as it pleases me to think how you both will atone for your insolence thus far, keeping you here is wasting your potential. Every shade in this realm is under my authority, and I would rather make use of you than watch you stand idle. Your skill is far too great to remain unexploited.”

Achilles sighed, staring down at the neatly written wording of his contract. He had to do something to convince Hades to change the terms of their deal. He wouldn’t be able to rest if he knew that Pat was being beaten on his account. Because of him. “Make use of me, then. Let me guard these halls of yours. Your House will be looked after as long as I am in it, I assure you.” Every sentence he spoke was burning him up a little more inside, along with the desire and hope to ever see Patroclus again. But this was necessary. It had to be done. “I will do whatever you ask of me, Lord Hades, without complaint; but please, ensure that Patroclus takes my place in Elysium. He fought beside me all my life. He is a strong and brave man, loyal to his cause. He is more than worthy of that paradise. It would not be a mistake to send him there in my stead.”

Having said his piece, Achilles relented. He stepped forward to offer the contract to Hades again, still unsigned. There was nothing else he could possibly suggest that might tempt Hades more than this, and he hoped that it would be enough to secure some kind of agreement between them. Hades scoffed, snatching up the paper with a dark leer. “Fine. If I am to agree to these terms, then you shall immediately agree to mine.” He leaned further over the desk, and for the first time in his life Achilles felt smaller than he ever had. “Patroclus will go to Elysium, but you are to remain here, guarding my halls. You are not permitted to leave, not for any reason. Is that understood?”

Achilles swallowed back the melancholy pooling in his gut. “Yes, Lord Hades, it is.”

“Good. He will not know that you are here, and I will not tell him of your whereabouts, either. Also, you are not to speak of this contract with anyone. If I ever catch you divulging any of this to anyone who isn’t me… you don’t want to know what I will do to you or your dear Patroclus. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Lord Hades.” Achilles’ sorrows grew a bit deeper, as did his anger, but he managed to choke it all back. “It will be done.”

Hades observed him for a long moment, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “You shall call me Master, from here on. Everyone under my employ calls me such as a means of showing respect, so you are expected to adhere to this as well. And one last thing… you are to train my son in the art of war.”

Achilles felt his head snap up in surprise. “Son? You have a son, Lord Hades?”

“Master,” he reminded him irritably, and Achilles nodded.

“Of course, Master. I wasn’t aware that you had a child to speak of.”

“Yes well, he is more of a nuisance than a son,” Hades grumbled, rapping his fingers along the desk. “Zagreus is immature yet, directionless. He does nothing but laze about my halls, and whatever responsibility I give to him he shirks immediately, as if he has a choice in the matter! I want you to teach him the meaning of hard work, of perseverance and dedication. Ensure that he is ready to take his place beside me when the time comes.”

Achilles couldn’t see how he would be able to make this Zagreus into a better ruler, if that was Hades’ purpose for suggesting this, but he agreed regardless. Patroclus was depending on him to see this through, and perhaps it would serve to take his mind off of things if he taught this boy the ways of battle. “I will teach him to the best of my ability, Master,” he said, already hating that term with a passion. “Is he the one you mentioned before, who idolized me?”

Another annoyed scoff. “Yes, and while he’s in your care, could you silence that blasted bragging of his? I’ve heard just about enough of his pathetic, and entirely false, exploits.”

That lightened Achilles’ mood just a little, somehow. He smiled, giving Hades a polite bow. “I will do what I can,” he said.

* * *

“... and I did the best that I could possibly do with the lad. He was a quick learner, as was I when I was young, and before long there was nothing more I could teach him.”

Achilles smiled, leaning his back further against the one supporting him. It was a comfortable feeling, reassuring and warm, and he let out a pleased sigh when a hand brushed tenderly against his. “When I think back on it, the only good that came out of this contract with Lord Hades was meeting his son. Well, that and getting you out of the torment that had been planned for you.”

At that, Patroclus turned to frown at him. “It was a foolish thing to do, for I was still tormented without you,” he said, the harsh bite of his tone making Achilles flinch and lower his eyes to his lap. _I know, Pat. So was I. I’m sorry._ Yet after a moment of silence his words softened, his tone gentled, and he held onto Achilles’ hand as if he would never let go. “However… if you proved to be any more clever than the average man, then you would not be my Achilles.”

Hearing that made him grin, just a little. “That is mainly true,” he admitted, “although I resent the remark just the same.”

“If you truly resent it so much, then why don’t you show me instead just how clever that mouth of yours can be in… certain situations? You have an eternity to make this up to me, after all.”

Pat’s hand had grown warm, almost feverish, and Achilles merely chuckled. How he had longed for moments such as these, and now they were his once more. “If you desire it, then it shall be done,” he murmured.

Not for the first time, and never for the last, their lips met in the glade, under the eternal light of Elysium.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and say hi on Tumblr!
> 
> You can find me at my main blog [@refraingirl](https://refraingirl.tumblr.com/) or at my writing blog [@refraingirl-the-writer](https://refraingirl-the-writer.tumblr.com/)!


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